Univ of CO Physician Assistant Program

10/15/2026

✨ CHAPA STUDENT SPOTLIGHT ✨

Meet Samantha, PA-S2! 🌼🩺

Originally from Fort Collins, CO, Sam graduated from the University of Wyoming with a degree in Physiology before working as a medical assistant in OB/GYN and primary care!

Since joining CHAPA, Sam has explored pediatric primary care, diabetes camp, and neuropalliative care, and is now gearing up for her first inpatient rotation in hospital medicine! 🏥

Beyond the classroom, Sam serves as a workgroup lead for the Women’s Health Clinic at DAWN and co-leads CHAPA’s Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Club! Her passion for women’s health advocacy stems from her research on s*x differences in heart failure and her commitment to ensuring women’s voices are heard in healthcare. 💜

When she’s not studying or in clinic, you’ll find Sam playing pickleball or golf, exploring new coffee shops, enjoying the outdoors, or joining her classmates for their weekly volleyball nights! ☕️⛳️🏐

If she was an organ, she’d be the uterus because it is adaptable and strong, just like her! We’re so lucky to have Sam as part of our CHAPA community! 💛🖤

10/14/2026

It's the season of reunions around here, and first up to share is the CHA/PA Class of 1996. They got together at a classmates home and had a great time reconnecting and catching up! You may see someone familiar, faculty member Denise Ogden PA-C, who graduated with this group. We are not only proud of the contribution that CHA/PA grads have made to healthcare, but we are also proud of the relationships our students build with each other that last for years to come. Congratulations on 30 years!

10/13/2026

Congratulations to CHA/PA Alum, Mark and Jack, on your roles with CU Hospital Medicine! We are so proud of you.

We're excited to welcome an incredible group of faculty joining us this month! From new hires bringing fresh perspectives to familiar faces returning as faculty after completing our Advanced Practice Fellowship Program, we're thrilled to have each of them on our team. 🥳👋

10/10/2026

Big dreams start with a little inspiration! 🩺✨

Our CHA/PA students and Voices in Medicine brought PA for a Day to a local elementary school, giving future healthcare heroes a glimpse into the PA profession! 💙

Because advocacy isn’t just about celebrating what PAs do — it’s about inspiring the next generation to see themselves doing it, too! 🫶

The future of medicine is looking bright! 🌟

10/07/2026

We know our CHA/PA crew works hard and plays hard, as you can see from these photos from the campus VOLO tournament and their 1st year vs 2nd year kickball game. To our 1st and 2nd years, enjoy Fall Break and play hard! GGR will be waiting for you when you return.

10/05/2026

🌟 Guest Lecturer Spotlight: Lexie Gallant, PA-C 🌟

Our GI/GU/Renal (GGR) Block is underway, and we're excited to spotlight one of our outstanding guest lecturers, Lexie Gallant, PA-C!

🏔️ Hometown: Arvada, Colorado

🎓 PA Education: CHA/PA (University of Colorado PA Program)

🏥 Current Practice: Lexie serves as a Hospitalist at the University of Colorado, where she primarily cares for oncology patients in the inpatient setting and in the cancer center urgent care clinic (CARE Clinic).

📚 Teaching with CHAPA Since: 2022

🩺 Lecture Topics:

Adult Altered Mental Status
Electrolyte Disturbances
Severe Fatty Liver Disease
Cirrhosis

(With support from her colleagues, Haley Briggs, PA-C and Kristen Harakal, PA-C)

💬 What does she enjoy most about teaching PA students? "I love helping early learners get started in their career and seeing the general excitement PA students have about medicine. They ask great questions and keep me on my toes and learning more every day. It also just feels good to be giving back to my PA program and helping shape future medical professionals."

🧠 Just for fun: If Lexie could be any organ in the human body, she would choose skin! "It's the largest organ in the body, constantly regenerating, serves as our biggest barrier to outside forces, and creates sensory inputs."

We are grateful for Lexie's dedication to patient care, passion for teaching, and commitment to preparing the next generation of Physician Assistants. Thank you for sharing your expertise with our students!

09/28/2026

From the classroom to Capitol Hill! 🏛️🩺

Our first-year students and faculty traveled to Washington, D.C. for the annual AAPA Leadership & Advocacy Summit!

From connecting with PA leaders across the country to advocating on Capitol Hill, it was an incredible opportunity to learn about the issues shaping the future of the profession. ✨

Advocacy is an important part of being a PA. We strive to help our profession grow while supporting policies that better serve our patients and communities.

We are so grateful to our students and faculty for representing CHAPA and using their voices for the future of the PA profession! 💜

09/25/2026

ICYMI - Next Friday (October 2nd at 6pm) is our annual Fall Alumni Event at the Wynkoop. If you haven't registered, get registered at the link below! We'd love to see you there!

https://web.cvent.com/event/9b1babe5-2bcc-4968-9a79-45468c9a5708/summary

09/18/2026

Our final Guest Lecturer spotlight from HEME/IIM is Dr. Nakano. Although he was at a conference during our block this year, he is one of our longtime CHA/PA guest lecturers. Dr. Nakano is a hematologist at Children’s Hospital Colorado who has been inspiring our PA students for more than six years.

Originally from Santa Barbara, California, Dr. Nakano attended Albert Einstein Medical School and now specializes in caring for pediatric patients with blood disorders. He shares his expertise with CHA/PA students through lectures on Immune Thrombocytopenias, helping them connect complex scientific concepts to real-world patient care.

💬 “My favorite thing about lecturing to PA students is sharing how the science translates to medical care and the direct impact it has on saving lives.”

When he's not caring for patients or teaching future PAs, Dr. Nakano enjoys eating, traveling, and all things Disney. He also appreciates Colorado’s beautiful mountains and changing seasons. And, in true hematologist fashion, if he could be any part of the human body, he'd choose blood!

📚 Favorite book: The Emperor of All Maladies

Thank you, Dr. Nakano, for your years of dedication to CHA/PA and for helping shape the next generation of Physician Assistants. We are grateful for your expertise, passion, and commitment to student learning!

/PA

09/16/2026

🌟 Guest Lecturer Spotlight: Lucy Logan Spears, PA-C 🌟

With the HEME/IIM Block coming to an end this week, it's a great time to recognize and publicly thank our Guest Lecturers for their contributions. We're excited to spotlight Lucy Logan Spears, PA-C, Senior Instructor in the Division of Hematology and one of our valued guest lecturers at CHA/PA!

Originally from Boulder, Colorado, Lucy is a proud CHA/PA alumna who now practices in outpatient malignant hematology at the University of Colorado Blood Disorders and Cell Therapies Center. Since joining us as a Guest Lecturer in 2023, she has shared her expertise with students on topics including:

🩸 Plasma Cell Dyscrasias
🩸 Lymphoma
🩸 Chronic Leukemias
🩸 Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS)
🩸 Acute Leukemias

When asked about her favorite part of teaching PA students, Lucy shared:

“They have the best questions. I always learn something from them when I come to lecture because they make me think of something I hadn't considered before.”

Outside of work and teaching, Lucy stays busy with her three young children. If she were granted a magical day off, her perfect morning would include a Pilates class, a great cup of coffee, and a trip to her favorite thrift stores.

Thank you, Lucy, for your dedication to educating the next generation of PAs and for bringing your passion for hematology to our students! 🖤💛

/PA